At the moment obesity is arguably the number one health problem in the Western world and in the United States alone nearly 60 percent of people are overweight, with close to 24 percent being obese and 3 percent severely obese. Now 3 percent may not appear to be high figure but when you realize that it represents more than 9 million morbidly obese individuals this is a fairly big problem.
In spite of the fact that more and more attention is being turned towards the problem of obesity and its treatment, it is surprising how much we still have to learn about the condition, including the affects of alcohol on individuals who have undergone obesity surgery.
For some considerable time now there has been a fair amount of anecdotal evidence to suggest that individuals who have had obesity surgery are more susceptible to the affects of alcohol but it was not until October 2006 that any attempt was made to assess the extent or otherwise of the problem.
In a fairly low-key study the affects of alcohol on 19 individuals who had undergone obesity surgery was compared to the affects on 17 control subjects. The individuals in the study each drank a small 5 ounce glass of red wine and their breath alcohol was then measured at 5 minute intervals until it fell back to zero.
The study discovered that alcohol levels reached a higher level in the obesity patients and also that they took far longer to fall back to zero. Perhaps most interestingly, the study also showed that just }a single|one} small glass of wine was enough to put the breath alcohol level in some obesity surgery patients above the legal limit for driving in several states.
The reason for the heightened affects of alcohol on obesity surgery patients is quite simple to understand because surgery both reduces the volume of the stomach and bypasses a section of the intestine, both areas of the body which play a significant role in breaking down alcohol before it gets into the bloodstream.
So precisely what does this mean for obesity surgery patients?
Well, apart from the clear need to be careful and certainly to avoid driving after drinking even very small amounts of alcohol, the implications for obesity surgery patients do in fact go a bit wider.
A major problem is that alcohol is a relaxant and this can produce difficulties with post-operative weight loss and to the maintenance of weight loss. As alcohol relaxes the stomach, which includes the lower esophageal sphincter, and the intestine, patients who enjoy a drink are able to eat more and the presence of alcohol in effect counteracts the affects of surgery. As if this were not bad enough a lot of individuals become more socially active following surgery and this frequently means an increased consumption of alcohol.
There will still need to be considerably more research carried out but, at the end of the day, the fact is that individuals who have undergone obesity surgery need to be aware of the possible risks of alcohol and watch their consumption accordingly.
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